Engineering Commons^™

Implementing A Smart Campus Chatbot Using Tf-Idf, Erica Lee

Senior Projects Fall 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Science, Mathematics and Computing of Bard College.

Alternatives To Reducing Aviation Fuel-Burn With Technology: Fully Electric Autonomous Taxibot, Denzil Neo

Student Works

Aircraft taxiing operations in the aerodrome were identified to consume the most jet fuel apart from the cruise phase of the flight. This was also well supported by various research associating taxi operations at large, congested airports, with high jet fuel consumption, high carbon emissions, and noise pollution. Existing literature recognised the potential to address the environmental issues of aerodrome taxi operations by operating External or Onboard Aircraft Ground Propulsion Systems (AGPS). Designed to power aircraft with sources other than their main engines, external Aircraft Ground Power Systems (AGPS) have shown the potential to significantly cut jet fuel consumption and …

Artificial Emotional Intelligence In Socially Assistive Robots, Hojjat Abdollahi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI) bridges the gap between humans and machines by demonstrating empathy and affection towards each other. This is achieved by evaluating the emotional state of human users, adapting the machine’s behavior to them, and hence giving an appropriate response to those emotions. AEI is part of a larger field of studies called Affective Computing. Affective computing is the integration of artificial intelligence, psychology, robotics, biometrics, and many more fields of study. The main component in AEI and affective computing is emotion, and how we can utilize emotion to create a more natural and productive relationship between humans …

Understanding And Quantifying Human Factors In Programming From Demonstration: A User Study Proposal, Shakra Mehak, Aayush Jain, John D. Kelleher, Philip Long, Michael Guilfoyle, Maria Chiara Leva

Conference papers

Programming by demonstration (PbD) is a promising method for robots to learn from direct, non-expert human interaction. This approach enables the interactive transfer of human skills to the robot. As the non-expert user is at the center of PbD, the efficacy of the learned skill is largely dependent on the demonstrations provided. Although PbD methods have been extensively developed and validated in the field of robotics, there has been inadequate confirmation of their effectiveness from the perspective of human teachability. To address this gap, we propose to experimentally investigate the impact of communicating robot learning process on the efficacy of …

Exploiting The Advantages And Overcoming The Challenges Of The Cable In A Tethered Drone System, Rogerio Rodrigues Lima

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation proposes solutions for motion planning, localization, and landing of tethered drones using only tether variables. A tether-based multi-model localization framework for tethered drones is proposed. This framework comprises three independent localization strategies based on a different model. The first strategy uses simple trigonometric relations assuming that the tether is taut; the second method relies on a set of catenary equations for the slack tether case; the third estimator is a neural network-based predictor that can cover different tether shapes. Multi-layer perceptron networks previously trained with a dataset comprised of the tether variables (i.e., length, tether angles on the …

Improving The Flexibility And Robustness Of Machine Tending Mobile Robots, Richard Ethan Hollingsworth

Theses and Dissertations

While traditional manufacturing production cells consist of a fixed base robot repetitively performing tasks, the Industry 5.0 flexible manufacturing cell (FMC) aims to bring Autonomous Industrial Mobile Manipulators (AIMMs) to the factory floor. Composed of a wheeled base and a robot arm, these collaborative robots (cobots) operate alongside people while autonomously performing tasks at different workstations. AIMMs have been tested in real production systems, but the development of the control algorithms necessary for automating a robot that is a combination of two cobots remains an open challenge before the large scale adoption of this technology occurs in industry. Currently popular …

Motion Planning In Artificial And Natural Vector Fields, Bernardo Martinez Rocamora Junior

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation advances the field of autonomous vehicle motion planning in various challenging environments, ranging from flows and planetary atmospheres to cluttered real-world scenarios. By addressing the challenge of navigating environmental flows, this work introduces the Flow-Aware Fast Marching Tree algorithm (FlowFMT*). This algorithm optimizes motion planning for unmanned vehicles, such as UAVs and AUVs, navigating in tridimensional static flows. By considering reachability constraints caused by vehicle and flow dynamics, flow-aware neighborhood sets are found and used to reduce the number of calls to the cost function. The method computes feasible and optimal trajectories from start to goal in challenging …

Initiating Change In Care: Socially Assistive Robots, Sooraj Sushama

Theses and Dissertations

Socially assistive robots (SAR) are autonomous machines equipped with sensors and software that allow them to interact socially with humans. SAR robots are commonly used in healthcare settings to provide patients with non-clinical support, such as conversation and emotional companionship. SARs can also deliver reminders, monitor vital signs, and provide educational information about health conditions or medications. Researchers have studied SAR applications in detail. Additionally, there has been prior research on SAR where users' sociodemographic factors and technology acceptance were studied. But even though the backbone of SAR is an advanced technology, no known research has been done on users' …

Design And Development Of A Smartphone App For Health Monitoring And Alerts For Farm Workers, Omer Oztoprak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents the design and development of a novel smartphone applicationfor simultaneous health monitoring and alerts for agricultural workers using multiple wearable sensor devices via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The application combines health data from a range of sensors such as an IMU that detects body movement, a pulse oximeter that captures oxygen saturation and heart rate, and a thermometer that measures body temperature. The software framework is built using Jetpack Compose in Android Studio, and it incorporates the MVVM (Model- View-ViewModel) model to provide optimized data flow and robust efficiency. By integrating the Dagger Hilt Dependency Injection framework, …

Effects Of Morphology On Genetic Assimilation Of Learned Behavior, Natalie L. Tolley

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The Baldwin effect is an evolutionary theory regarding the assimilation of ontogenetic changes into a population's genome via selection pressure to entrench beneficial phenotypes discovered through learning. In evolutionary computation, the incorporation of learning into non-embodied agents allows them to navigate otherwise rough fitness landscapes by allowing for local exploration at particular points in that landscape. Prior work investigating the specific mechanisms by which learned behavior is genetically assimilated is almost entirely limited to non-situated, non-embodied simulations such as bitstring manipulation. However, recent research has demonstrated that genetic assimilation can be observed in embodied agents. Learning more about the ways …

Portable Robotic Navigation Aid For The Visually Impaired, Lingqiu Jin

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to address the limitations of existing visual-inertial (VI) SLAM methods - lack of needed robustness and accuracy - for assistive navigation in a large indoor space. Several improvements are made to existing SLAM technology, and the improved methods are used to enable two robotic assistive devices, a robot cane, and a robotic object manipulation aid, for the visually impaired for assistive wayfinding and object detection/grasping. First, depth measurements are incorporated into the optimization process for device pose estimation to improve the success rate of VI SLAM's initialization and reduce scale drift. The improved method, called depth-enhanced visual-inertial …

Neuromorphic Computing Applications In Robotics, Noah Zins

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Deep learning achieves remarkable success through training using massively labeled datasets. However, the high demands on the datasets impede the feasibility of deep learning in edge computing scenarios and suffer from the data scarcity issue. Rather than relying on labeled data, animals learn by interacting with their surroundings and memorizing the relationships between events and objects. This learning paradigm is referred to as associative learning. The successful implementation of associative learning imitates self-learning schemes analogous to animals which resolve the challenges of deep learning. Current state-of-the-art implementations of associative memory are limited to simulations with small-scale and offline paradigms. Thus, …

Evaluation Of Lidar Uncertainty And Applications Towards Slam In Off-Road Environments, Zachary D. Jeffries

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Safe and robust operation of autonomous ground vehicles in all types of conditions and environment necessitates complex perception systems and unique, innovative solutions. This work addresses automotive lidar and maximizing the performance of a simultaneous localization and mapping stack. An exploratory experiment and an open benchmarking experiment are both presented. Additionally, a popular SLAM application is extended to use the type of information gained from lidar characterization, demonstrating the performance gains and necessity to tightly couple perception software and sensor hardware. The first exploratory experiment collects data from child-sized, low-reflectance targets over a range from 15 m to 35 m. …

Imitation Learning For Swarm Control Using Variational Inference, Hafeez Olafisayo Jimoh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Swarms are groups of robots that can coordinate, cooperate, and communicate to achieve tasks that may be impossible for a single robot. These systems exhibit complex dynamical behavior, similar to those observed in physics, neuroscience, finance, biology, social and communication networks, etc. For instance, in Biology, schools of fish, swarm of bacteria, colony of termites exhibit flocking behavior to achieve simple and complex tasks. Modeling the dynamics of flocking in animals is challenging as we usually do not have full knowledge of the dynamics of the system and how individual agent interact. The environment of swarms is also very noisy …

Space Force Design Project, Emily Greene, Ashton Orosa, Julia Patek, Nathan Doty

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of our research project is to develop a lab testbed composed of a curved surface to represent a spacecraft hull, a mobile robot equipped with repair tools, and a robotic arm equipped with a laser 3D scanner. This project is part of a larger grant to the University of Akron from Space Force and Air Research Labs. The lab testbed developed in this project will be used to assist in creating and testing a software and algorithm to inspect and repair spacecraft while in orbit. The project will involve researching spacecraft hulls to create an accurate simulation bed, …

Human Tracking Function For Robotic Dog, Andrew Sharkey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With the increase the increase in automation and humans and robots working side by side, there is a need for a more organic way of controlling robots. The goal of this project is to create a control system for Boston dynamics robotic dog Spot that implements human tracking image software to follow humans using computer vision as well as using hand tracking image software to allow for control input through hand gestures.

Benchmarking Model Predictive Control And Reinforcement Learning For Legged Robot Locomotion, Shivayogi Akki

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This research delves into the realm of quadrupedal robotics, focusing on the comparative analysis of Model Predictive Control (MPC) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) as predominant control strategies. Through the comprehensive dataset compiled and the insights derived from this analysis, this research aims to serve as a valuable resource for the legged robotics community, guiding researchers and practitioners in the selection and implementation of control strategies. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the advancement of legged robot capabilities and facilitate their successful deployment in real-world applications.

In this study, we employ the Unitree Go1 quadrupedal robot as a testbed, subjecting …

Design And Fabrication Of A Force-Displacement Control Mechanism For Bone-Surgical Tool Testing, Kenneth Nwagu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses on the design and fabrication of an experimental setup for orthopedic-tool testing, tailored for a surgical instrumentation company. The multifaceted project encompasses a literature review, conceptual design, prototyping, and rigorous testing, resulting in a versatile control system capable of assessing various orthopedic tools, including bone drills, saws, burrs, and power handpieces.

Orthopedic surgical procedures (which include cutting and/or drilling into bone) often need to be performed on bones for faster recovery. The drilling and cutting process can cause an increase in temperature at the cutting site which can cause bone necrosis. The tools also need to be …

A Camera-Only Based Approach To Traffic Parameter Estimation Using Mobile Observer Methods, Temitope D. Jegede

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As vehicles become more modern, a large majority of vehicles on the road will have the required sensors to smoothly interact with other vehicles and infrastructure on the road. There will be many benefits of this new connectivity between vehicles on the road but one of the most profound improvements will be in the area of road accident prevention. Vehicles will be able to share information vital to road safety to oncoming vehicles and vehicles that are occluded so they do not have a direct line of sight to see a pedestrian or another vehicle on the road.

Another advantage …

A Structured Narrative Prompt For Prompting Narratives From Large Language Models: Sentiment Assessment Of Chatgpt-Generated Narratives And Real Tweets, Christopher J. Lynch, Erik J. Jensen, Virginia Zamponi, Kevin O'Brien, Erika Frydenlund, Ross Gore

VMASC Publications

Large language models (LLMs) excel in providing natural language responses that sound authoritative, reflect knowledge of the context area, and can present from a range of varied perspectives. Agent-based models and simulations consist of simulated agents that interact within a simulated environment to explore societal, social, and ethical, among other, problems. Simulated agents generate large volumes of data and discerning useful and relevant content is an onerous task. LLMs can help in communicating agents' perspectives on key life events by providing natural language narratives. However, these narratives should be factual, transparent, and reproducible. Therefore, we present a structured narrative prompt …

The Evolution Of Gendered Software: Products, Scientific Reasoning, Criticism, And Tools, Victoria A. E. Kratel

Human-Machine Communication

Over the past 7 decades, gendered software has become globally established. In this theoretical distribution, I outline the evolution of gendered software. The journey of gendered software started with the raw idea fueled by Alan Turing’s imitation game in the 1950s. And only shortly thereafter, in the 1960s and 1970s, the first gendered software products like Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA were developed. Thus, academia took its time to not only explore technological aspects, but to further investigate the matter of gender in the 1990s CASA-paradigm (Nass et al., 1994) and Media Equation (Reeves & Nass, 1996). As these theories reasoned the …

Designing A Loving Robot: A Social Construction Analysis Of A Sex Robot Creator’S Vision, Annette Masterson

Human-Machine Communication

In 2018, one of the world’s first sex robots was released by CEO Matt McMullen and his company, RealDoll. With artificial intelligence capabilities, the Harmony model is meant to support and converse with users. Using a social construction of technology theory lens, this study develops the theory’s fourth level of analysis, emphasizing mass media’s construction abilities. A critical discourse analysis of 38 publicity interviews found a tendency to emphasize the companionship of sex robots while envisioning a future where integration is normalized, and a sentient robot is possible. As the creator, McMullen’s vision could determine the future of robotic design, …

Do People Perceive Alexa As Gendered? A Cross-Cultural Study Of People’S Perceptions, Expectations, And Desires Of Alexa, Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn P. Edwards, Anna Maria Manganelli, Chad Edwards, Federico De Luca

Human-Machine Communication

Mainly, the scholarly debate on Alexa has focused on sexist/anti-woman gender representations in the everyday life of many families, on a cluster of themes such as privacy, insecurity, and trust, and on the world of education and health. This paper takes another stance and explores via online survey methodology how university student respondents in two countries (the United States, n = 333; and Italy, n = 322) perceive Alexa’s image and gender, what they expect from this voice-based assistant, and how they would like Alexa to be. Results of a free association exercise showed that Alexa’s image was scarcely embodied …

Gender And Human-Machine Communication: Where Are We?, Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn P. Edwards

Human-Machine Communication

In this introduction to the fifth volume of the journal Human-Machine Communication, we present and discuss the five articles focusing on gender and human-machine communication. In this essay, we will analyze the theme of gender, including how this notion has historically and politically been set up, and for what reasons. We will start by considering gender in in-person communication, then we will progress to consider what happens to gender when it is mediated by the most important ICTs that preceded HMC: the telephone, mobile phone, and computer-mediated communication (CMC). We outline the historical framework necessary to analyze the last section …

Certification Basis For A Fully Autonomous Uncrewed Passenger Carrying Urban Air Mobility Aircraft, Steve Price

Student Works

The Urban Air Mobility campaign has set a goal to efficiently transport passengers and cargo in urban areas of operation with autonomous aircraft. This concept of operations will require aircraft to utilize technology that currently does not have clear regulatory requirements. This report contains a comprehensive analysis and creation of a certification basis for a fully autonomous uncrewed passenger carrying rotorcraft for use in Urban Air Mobility certified under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 27. Part 27 was first analyzed to determine the applicability of current regulations. The fully electric propulsion system and fully autonomous flight control system …

Assessment Of Simulated And Real-World Autonomy Performance With Small-Scale Unmanned Ground Vehicles, William Peyton Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Off-road autonomy is a challenging topic that requires robust systems to both understand and navigate complex environments. While on-road autonomy has seen a major expansion in recent years in the consumer space, off-road systems are mostly relegated to niche applications. However, these applications can provide safety and navigation to dangerous areas that are the most suited for autonomy tasks. Traversability analysis is at the core of many of the algorithms employed in these topics. In this thesis, a Clearpath Robotics Jackal vehicle is equipped with a 3D Ouster laser scanner to define and traverse off-road environments. The Mississippi State University …

Actively Guided Cansats For Assisting Localization And Mapping In Unstructured And Unknown Environments, Cary Chun, M. Hassan Tanveer

Symposium of Student Scholars

When navigating in unknown and unstructured environments, Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs) can struggle when attempting to preform Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) operations. Particularly challenging circumstance arise when an UAV may need to land or otherwise navigate through treacherous environments. As the primary UAV may be too large and unwieldly to safely investigate in these types of situations, this research effort proposes the use of actively guided CanSats for assisting in localization and mapping of unstructured environments. A complex UAV could carry multiple of these SLAM capable CanSats, and when additional mapping and localization capabilities where required, the CanSat would …

Unmanned Aerial System Design For Civil Engineering Operations – A Vip Study, Ezra Robles, Harrison Vicknair, Derek Price, Logan Westra, George Pitcock, Joshua Diamond, Bhuvan Saraswat, Jeremiah Prayor, Fon Saliki

Symposium of Student Scholars

Unmanned Aerial System Design for Civil Engineering Operations – A Case Study

The objective of the project is to design and build a modular Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that meets the specifications set forth by United Consulting – a local civil engineering company. These specifications are achieved through three unique missions. In each mission, data is collected using different methods. These missions include land surveying, bridge structure inspection and manhole probing. The key requirements of the drone are to maintain a minimum flight time of 30 minutes and the ability to receive and transmit telemetry, photographic and video data from …

Intelligent Autonomous Inspections Using Deep Learning And Detection Markers, Alejandro Martinez Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inspection of industrial and scientific facilities is a crucial task that must be performed regularly. These inspections tasks ensure that the facilityâ??s structure is in safe operational conditions for humans. Furthermore,the safe operation of industrial machinery, is dependent on the conditions of the environment. For safety reasons, inspections for both structural integrity and equipment is often manually performed by operators or technicians. Naturally, this is often a tedious and laborious task. Additionally, buildings and structures frequently contain hard to reach or dangerous areas, which leads to the harm, injury or death of humans. Autonomous robotic systems offer an attractive solution …

Design Of Environment Aware Planning Heuristics For Complex Navigation Objectives, Carter D. Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A heuristic is the simplified approximations that helps guide a planner in deducing the best way to move forward. Heuristics are valued in many modern AI algorithms and decision-making architectures due to their ability to drastically reduce computation time. Particularly in robotics, path planning heuristics are widely leveraged to aid in navigation and exploration. As the robotic platform explores and navigates, information about the world can and should be used to augment and update the heuristic to guide solutions. Complex heuristics that can account for environmental factors, robot capabilities, and desired actions provide optimal results with little wasted exploration, but …